Deep-Sea Mining: a Manageable Necessi y o a Cu se?
Fe nando J.A.S. Ba iga1
Abs ac
e dependence o mode n socie ies upon c i ical aw ma e ials (nea ly
all me als) is o e whelming. some belie e ha demand is g owing as e
han offe , no only because o geological a ailabili y bu also o poli ical
and economic easons.
o hese easons i is impe a i e o conside new sou ces o aw ma e-
ials. e sea loo s ands as a likely candida e. We mus c ea e eadiness
now o be p epa ed when he need comes.
one o he g ea es ea s is he en i onmen al cos in ol ed in mining he
deep sea loo . Howe e , he mining indus y no longe dese es i s pa -
ially no a o able epu a ion. We need bo h he esou ces and he en i-
onmen . and nIMBY (no In My Back Ya d) will no help.
Keywo ds: sea loo mining, ecycling, ci cula economy, Ma Mine al
exhibi ion
esumo
a dependência das sociedades mode nas sob e ma é ias-p imas c í icas
(quase odas me ais) é esmagado a. alguns ac edi am que a p ocu a es á a
c esce mais apidamen e do que a o e a, não apenas em unção da
disponibilidade geológica, mas ambém po azões polí icas e económicas.
Po es as azões, é impe a i o conside a no as on es de ma é ias-p imas.
o undo do ma é um candida o p o á el. de emos c ia p on idão ago a
pa a es a mos p epa ados quando a necessidade ie .
um dos maio es eceios é o cus o ambien al en ol ido na mine ação do
undo do ma . no en an o, a indús ia minei a não me ece a sua ep-
u ação po ezes não a o á el. P ecisamos dos ecu sos e do ambien e.
e nIMBY (não no meu quin al) não ai ajuda
Pala as-cha e: Mine ação do undo do ma , eciclagem, economia ci -
cula , exposição Ma Mine al
235
1 ac Ciencias uni lisboa.Ins i u o dom luiz (Idl. Cul, edi icio C6, Campo
G ande, 1749-016 lisboa, Po ugal. [email p o ec ed]
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In oduc ion
Popula ion g ow h and ising s anda ds o li ing a e placing new,
ex emely high le els on he demand o many mine al esou ces. ese
ci cums ances, and newly a ailable echnological de elopmen s, p o-
duced enewed in e es in deep-sea mining. Howe e , en i onmen al
conce ns, wi h a iable deg ees o jus i ica ion, a e aising opposi ion
o he concep . e o ecas o he beha io o consump ion e sus
a ailabili y o many aw ma e ials, nea ly all c i ical me als, a guably
show ha consump ion will g ow much as e han esou ce disco e y
onsho e. inding new sou ces o aw ma e ials seems inescapable. e
deep sea loo s ands ou as a likely candida e. e e is g ea need o
public suppo o he concep , and his can only be achie ed h ough
a global effo in ol ing no only science, indus y, and go e nance bu
also in o ma ion o he public a la ge. Mode n mining, p ope ly im-
plemen ed, is no mo e p oblema ic han o he la ge scale indus ial
ope a ions, including ag icul u e and ishe ies, as desc ibed u he in
his ex . e supply o mine al esou ces, onsho e o offsho e, mus
be oo p in - ee, o nea ly so, and i is essen ial ha he public unde -
s ands his. e “no in my Back Ya d” (nIMBY) a i ude has a p ice,
oen a hea y en i onmen al p ice.
Sea Floo Mining and he Ecosys em
Ma ine mining has al eady s a ed, decades ago, o diamonds, cu -
en ly up o dep hs in excess o 200 me es. al hough he indus y ec-
ognizes he e is a oo p in , i conside s he oo p in qui e mino ,
because he a ea mined is small: in namibia, whe e offsho e diamond
mining is now 70% o he coun y’s o al, only 3% o he concession o
3,700 sq. miles (9600 km2) ha e been mined. as plans o mine deep-
sea massi e sulphide deposi s and polyme allic nodules p og ess, he
en i onmen al conce ns g ow. some o hese conce ns a e as ollows:
• e deep-sea ecosys ems a e composed o long-li ed species,
wi h low a es o ep oduc ion. e en i onmen may no e-
co e om mining on a human ime scale;
• e dynamics o ailings plume dispe sion mus be de ined, ail-
ings mus be e u ned o he sea loo wi h he leas possible e -
ec on he ecosys em;
• P o ec ed, non-mining a eas mus be c ea ed adjacen o mining a eas;
• Mining mus in ol e scien is s, indus y and go e nance. e-
sea ch mus ocus on he ecosys em and on new echnology;
knowledge mus low and be inco po a ed in he p oduc ion p o-
cess. Go e nance mus c ea e adequa e ules, and en o ce hem;
• new consump ion habi s mus be os e ed;
• e e mus be ample in es men o he abo e asks, scien is s
mus sail and ha e access o s a e o he a ools.
(ae ana Colaço, in in e iew o Ma Mine al exhibi ion, MuHnaC, lisboa).
e Ci cula Economy
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Figu e 1. e ci cula economy (d. Ca ilho, CT (Po ugal). In www.e a-min.eu, e ie-
ed Janua y 201.
Pa ly because o i s name, many people and o ganiza ions hink
ha he ci cula economy will soon ende he exploi a ion o p ima y
esou ces obsole e. Howe e , a uly ci cula economy, in his sense,
will no be possible o a long ime ye , because (a) losses a e in-
e i able; (b) consump ion will con inue o g ow o many decades.
using he name “Ci cula economy” con eys he alse no ion ha we
can do wi hou p ima y p oduc ion. a mo e app op ia e designa ion
would be “ eedback economy”.
e e can be no doub ha ecycling, seconda y esou ces, and
he like a e impo an (see igu e 1). Howe e , hei abili y o eplace
he exploi a ion o p ima y esou ces in a plane wi h a popula ion
expec ed o g ow o abou 10 billion people by 2050 is implausible
(uni ed na ions depa men o economic and social affai s, Popu-
la ion di ision. July 2015. e ie ed30 May 2017). a e ea h ele-
men s ( ee) a e a good example as, in many applica ions (e.g.
phospho laye s o la sc een o compu e s, T ’s and sma phones)
he ee concen a ions a e signi ican ly lowe han in na u al ee
o es. e economic and ene gy cos s o ecycling ee om hese de-
ices is clea ly un a ou able, ende ing i nex o un easible.
G een Mining, Blue Mining
Mining no longe needs o be he culp i . e mode n echno-
logical de elopmen and economic e ms ha e allowed use o he e m
“g een mining”, on land-based mining ope a ions. Coun ies like in-
land and Canada, and o ganisa ions such as he MIT in he usa a e
pionee ing he concep . Mode n mining is no wo se, on he con a y,
han o he essen ial indus ies, including ishe ies and ag icul u e,
bo h wi h a hea y load o p oblems. ag icul u e claims abou 50,000
km2o new a able land pe yea , due o opsoil loss, la gely a esul o
ag icul u e. Many yea s ago, he Wo ldwa ch Ins i u e called his “…
he quie c isis in wo ld economy” (l B own, eC Wol , 1984, Wo ld-
wa ch pape 60, sep embe 1984). ecen ly, a senio un official ein-
o ced his iew wa ning ha we may ha e “…only 60 yea s o a ming
le i soil deg ada ion con inues” (C a senau , 2017, eu e s, in sci-
en i ic ame ican). Clea ly new a ming me hods, less soil-des uc i e,
mus be de eloped and b ough o gene alized use. Mining is no he
only indus y ha has o p ese e he en i onmen .
Wi h an app op ia e se o ules and hei p ope en o cemen ,
mining can be “g een”. Many ules apply o onsho e g een mining, bu
he i s is uni e sal: Illegal and un egula ed mining ope a ions mus
be shu down. igu e 2 (Google ea h image e ie ed 2018) shows
he effec o nea ly 30 yea s o la ge scale mining, limi ed o he mine
i sel , and he ailings impoundmen , su ounded by a landscape iden-
ical o he p e-mining si ua ion.
I esponsible mining onsho e is “g een mining” he offsho e
coun e pa can be called “blue mining”. We need o be able o de-
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sc ibe examples o blue mining, o pe suade he gene al public ha
he deep sea loo ecosys ems will su i e sea loo mining. a powe ul
s a emen comes om he Cla ion-Clippe on Zone (CCZ). e po-
en ial a ea o mining in he CCZ is 12.5 million km2. e exis ing
concessions, mined o 20 yea s, will ex ac nodules in abou 4000
km2o each concession, o abou 0.5% o he CCZ po en ial a ea.
e No wegian Example
no way wen h ough a na ionwide effo , since he 1960’s, o im-
plemen he offsho e oil indus y (h p://www.no skpe oleum.no/en/
e ie ed Janua y 2018). is included a lo o ap explo a ion, bu a
mo e han ha . P ope and ca e ul ela ions wi h o eign oil companies,
es ablishmen o a legal amewo k, c ea ion o s a oil, and a g ea ed-
uca ion effo , wi h wo main componen s: aining young geologis s,
geophysicis s, enginee s and lawye s, and de eloping among he gene al
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Figu e 2. Google ea h image o he ne es-Co o a ea in sou he n Po ugal. dis ance be -
ween mine and impoundmen abou 3 km.

public he no ion ha an oil indus y could be p ope ly es ablished,
wi h minimal en i onmen al cos and g ea economic ad an age. iy
yea s la e i is clea ha he no wegian oil indus y is a success. e
impo ance o educa ion is well exp essed in a simple s a emen : “…
common causes o social con lic in he [mining] indus y include in-
sufficien consul a ion, lack o public pa icipa ion, lack o educa ion,
en i onmen al conce ns and opposing expec ancies o social and eco-
nomic p ospec s.”h p://www. esea ch.com/documen s/impac /He-
lena_Wessmann_In l_Inno a ion.pd , e ie ed 2017).
no way ecen ly began wo king on a simila effo o offsho e
sea loo massi e sulphide (sms) deposi s. li le is known ye , bu
chances a e no way will become a leade in he ade.
Ma Mine al, Science and Riches on he Deep Sea loo
To help in o ming he public abou sea loo mining issues we
ha e assembled a museum exhibi ion, in Museu nacional de His ó ia
na u al e da Ciência (MuHnaC) in lisbon. e exhibi ion, in 400
m2, consis s o panels wi h i les, sho ex s and g aphics; 3d objec s
and specimens (all o iginals: he e a e no eplicas). Ten ideo p esen-
a ions (six o which p oduced o iginally o he exhibi ion) a e an
impo an pa o he se . e exhibi ion is assembled on a g ey con-
c e e backg ound, which emphasizes he ambiance. dominan colou s
a y oo (whi e – da k blue – b own).
e exhibi ion begins wi h a display o he di e si y o indus ial
p oduc s (including many e e yday p oduc s) ha equi e mined e-
sou ces; in a second a ea some achie emen s on he s udy o he deep
sea loo a e shown, wi h emphasis on mine al esou ces.
exhibi s include hyd o he mal en ield samples, om he no h
a lan ic, he a c ic and he Paci ic; ca bona e condui s ela ed wi h
mud olcanoes and gas hyd a es; a b ie explana ion conce ning he
deep biosphe e; and exhibi s o polyme allic nodules (abou 250, on
sedimen , bo h om he Cla ion-Clippe on Zone o he equa o ial
Paci ic) and e omanganese c us s collec ed by eMePC in he no h
a lan ic. e hi d main a ea consis s o a display o echnologies o
access, su eying and sampling he sea loo , including an au hen ic
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Figu e 3. Ma Mine al s a s by showing ou ex eme dependence on mine al esou ces.
Pho o Gonçalo Ba iga
Figu e 4. Gene al aspec o a ea B, illus a ing he main mine al esou ces al eady disco e ed
on he sea loo .
au (In an e) made in Po ugal by Is /IsT and a 3d model o he
concep o sea loo mining; ep esen a ions o ela i ely de ailed ex-
hibi s on ex ac ion solu ions, e ical anspo sys ems and ecosys-
em p ese a ion; a s iking p esen a ion o he sea and sea loo unde
Po uguese ju isdic ion, p oduced by eMePC;
a ou h sec ion ecalls ha some ypes o sea loo mine al de-
posi s, namely massi e sulphide deposi s, ha e equi alen s gene a ed
hund eds o million yea s ago on he loo s o ancien oceans, and a e
now exposed on land, whe e hey can be exploi ed and s udied, con-
ibu ing o ou knowledge o he mode n examples. emphasis is
placed on he Ibe ian Py i e Bel o sou h Po ugal and sou hwes
spain, one o he mos impo an p o inces o ancien olcanogenic
massi e sulphide p o inces. a se ies o in i ed con e ences comple es
he exhibi ion.
Acknowledgemen s
is a icle is dedica ed, as is he Ma Mine al exhibi ion, o he
memo y o Má io ui o, a i eless de ende o he ocean, he ecosys-
ems and he en i onmen a la ge. Howe e , Má io was also capable
o ag eeing wi h he poin o iew con eyed he e: deep sea loo min-
ing yes, i p ope ly done, espec ing he en i onmen . Hence he ded-
ica ion.
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Figu e 5. le, he In an e au , made in Po ugal by Is /IsT; Cen e, a ligh box desc ibes
he o luso ( e he ed), can wo k down o 6000 me es. Back, map wi h a ep esen a ion
o he “Po uguese sea” and main explo a ion a eas o mine al esou ces (bo h eMePC).
We ollow closely he p esen a ion by he au ho in he unde -
wa e Mining Con e ence (uMC) 2017 – Be lin, and bene i ed om
a ious o ms o coope a ion wi h many colleagues and iends a
MuHnaC (liliana Pó oas and Césa lopes) Geo Cul and Idl (M.
Inês C uz, Jo ge M. .s. el as, ál a o M.M. Pin o, João X. Ma os,
so ia Ma ins, Jelena Milino ic, ága a s.C.a. dias, Isabel ibei o da
Cos a, ana I. Janei o), eMePC (Ped o Madu ei a, Pa ícia Conceição,
luisa ibei o), and la sys/IsT (an ónio Pascoal, luís sebas ião).
ey a e all g a e ully acknowledged.
anks o Gonçalo Ba iga o he pho os in igu es 3 and 6.
is p ojec has ecei ed unding om he eu opean union’s se -
en h amewo k P og amme o esea ch, Technological de elop-
men and demons a ion unde G an ag eemen no 604500.
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Figu e 6. a ea d o he Ma Mine al exhibi ion, dedica ed o ancien sea loo massi e sulp-
hide deposi s, wi h emphasis on he Ibe ian Py i e Bel .